


And the flowers will continue to bloom

by TheShhhSpot



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 20:24:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17835566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShhhSpot/pseuds/TheShhhSpot
Summary: Their only job is to keep the balance, and that means that none of them have a soul, that is just impossible, that is a right only kept for humanity. Marcus is not exactly a guardian angel, neither is he a reaper. Kevin has never meet any other angel like him, so maybe it’s all part of what he is supposed to do, his mission on earth.





	And the flowers will continue to bloom

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it :)  
> Grammar mistakes have been corrected now.

The wind softly caresses the flowers that have grown at the edge of the street, the sun is up in the sky, but the clouds are blocking the strong rays of sunshine from heating up the weather. There is laughter coming from the park in front of him and bicycles are transiting on the street along with one or two cars that very remotely turn in the direction of the park.  
The air feels fresh and relaxing. And Kevin almost feels a certain melancholy about possibly interrupting the calmness. Almost.  
He walks along the street, slowly, admiring the flower gardens, the colors, the smells, it is a beautiful afternoon indeed. He continues until he catches a glimpse of blonde hair on his peripheral vision and lifts his head to look to his right. _Right on time._ The blonde in front of him smiles and gives Kevin a small wave with his right hand. Kevin walks up to him, he can’t possibly hide the small smile on his face as he moves.

_Right on time, I missed you._

“I like this place, it has many flowers” The taller blonde says, smile still on his face. Kevin just chuckles. “The purple ones are my favorite” The other blonde continues and nods towards one of the gardens in the park in front of them. “Look. They are purple but also have black and white on them, they remind me of you” Kevin looks at the flowers, indeed, they are little purple things with traces of black on the inside, no, not black, probably a darker shade of purple that would make them look a bit sinister, if it wasn’t for the combination of their bright green leaves and the other flowers planted in the garden. Yes, Kevin can see why it reminds him of his person now. His smile broadens and Kevin feels a peculiar warmth inside him, a warmth that after years he has come to relate with Marcus’ presence.

  
He looks back and the blonde is looking at him, that smile still on his face and…what wouldn’t Kevin do to be able to see it every day.  
“They do look enigmatic enough” He jokes. “Hello, Marcus”  
“Hello Kevin” They stare at each other for a moment until the laughter from the park distracts them.  
“How long until it happens?” Kevin asks, as if he doesn’t know exactly the moment and reason he is there. Marcus hums and shrugs. “About 10 minutes” He answers.  
“You are here early” Kevin replies and grabs Marcus’ arm motioning for them to sit on the edge of the sidewalk. Marcus sits cross legged next to him, absentmindedly playing with the grass that grows between the flat plates of cement that create a geometric design on the floor. “Eh, well, I wanted to see the flowers, I told you, I really like this place”.  
“Do you come here often?” Kevin asks, he already knows the answer, but he wants to joke with Marcus for a moment. The blonde looks sheepishly at him and laughs “Don’t tell Mika! He would get upset at me, you know how he is”  
“I thought Mika was not your boss” Kevin laughs too.  
“He is not, but he worries, he says that I am spending so much time here its making me human!” The taller blonde replies as he tries to mimic Mika’s voice and fails ending with a small laugh that stops when he sees Kevin’s serious face.  
Kevin shakes his head. “No, he is wrong. Humans are mean and destructive, they kill everything they touch, they are selfish” He looks at Marcus “You are not like that”  
Marcus sighs, “You know what he means, he says that I am falling in love with them, with feeling, with finding beauty in all this.” He says as he looks around and signals the space with his left hand. “Not all humans are bad, Kevin, and you know that. How many have you taken away fighting for what is right, doing a good action?” Marcus questions looking at him.  
Kevin huffs and looks away. “How many have you consoled while they grip to life, dying because they were made to fight for the greed of others” He snaps back, and regrets it, he doesn’t have a reason to be mad. He doesn’t even care much about humans, and he knows Marcus is right. But in all honestly, he is a little jealous about how they could cause such love on Marcus when he would want all of it to be his. What Marcus does…to hold their hand as they part, before Kevin takes them away…Kevin would never compare him with them.  
For a brief moment Kevin is taken off balance by the rush of emotions he feels…feels? that is unusual.  
Marcus looks at him with a sad face and just shakes his head looking away.  
“I am sorry, I didn’t mean that” Kevin says after a moment, a bit embarrassed, Marcus smiles again. “Aw it’s okay, my angel, I could never love them like I love you” He replies and his answer is so soft and playful, Kevin is speechless for a moment.  
And then he hears it, the sound of the bells, slowly in the distance. It’s time.  
Marcus must have heard them too, because he lifts his gaze and his blue eyes follow the street until they stop, Kevin follows them and finds them focused on a woman, she is old, walking down the street holding a bag, on his right hand, the contents of which seem to be supermarket goods. She is holding her purse on her other hand.  
“That is her” Marcus says and Kevin nods. “Let’s go”  
The woman dies of a heart attack, when Kevin takes her soul with him, he can see her scared expression, she fears him, she fears death, but Marcus holds her hand and talks to her. Kevin only hears bits of their conversation. She tells him she doesn’t want to go, tells him about her daughter and son, about how she didn’t have the heart to tell them she was sick.  
Marcus listens and they walk. In the end the woman smiles. “I’m ready” she says and Kevin guides her to the light.

 

“Well, someone is happy” Romain says as they cross paths. They are standing at the edge of a cliff that looks over a beach in Hawaii. “I am, thank you very much” Kevin replies with a smirk and Romain laughs, he is eating what looks to be a tiny cake. Kevin likes eating sometimes, he enjoys it, he especially likes chocolate truffles. “Uh, I don’t think that is appropriate behavior for a funeral, young man!” Romain jokes as he finishes eating. Kevin rolls his eyes, he likes talking to Romain, they work together most times, they are both reapers assigned to taking the souls of those who die by accidents or illnesses. It is sad, he has observed humanity for a long while, not since the beginning, but around the time where they discovered the meaning of the stars. He is a reaper, it’s his job to guide them when their lives are done in that plane of existence.

  
Their purpose is simple, but they do feel, they observe but never interfere. Their bodies are shaped to look like them, but they are not human, they are not guardian angels, although Kevin likes them. The ones he knows, at least. He mostly sees Tatiana when she talks to Marcus, he also knows Lewis, although he doesn’t talk to him often given that the task of the angel has increased from just guarding small amounts of humans, all of them have different tasks, of course, most of the time they don’t cross paths. He crosses paths with Marcus often enough, though. Then again Marcus is not a guardian angel per se.  
Some of them walk amongst humans, Kevin knows of Susie and Sergio, their tasks are different, they observe humanity closer, but never feel as they do, free will is something for humans to enjoy and that includes to feel certain emotions.   
Romain talks to him about things he learned of humans that day, they spend the time watching the tides and seeing the people at the beach surf.

“Wait, Kevin” Romain says, his voice sounds serious all of the sudden and whatever joke Kevin was about to tell dies on his mouth at the stern voice. “What is it?” He asks.  
Romain hesitates, he looks at him with his brows furrowed for a moment. “I’m worried about Marcus”  
Upon hearing the name, Kevin, looks up at Romain, the surfers and the beach long forgotten. “Why?” He asks, afraid of hearing the answer. “Romain what is the matter?” he asks again when the other reaper stays silent.  
The taller reaper purses his lips before replying. “I saw him talking to Mika”  
Kevin shrugs, that is not something to be worried about. “So, what? Mika is his boss, they talk all the time” Romain hums a little under his breath before he speaks again. “Come on Kevin, we both know that is not true, we all know he is not quite a guardian angel. But that doesn’t matter” He adds and before the blond gets a chance to reply, Romain continues. “Listen, last time I was with him, we were at a hospital in Prague, I needed to get the soul of a child, I was just about to reap him, when Marcus told me to stop. He gave the child time to draw something for his parents” At Kevin’s raised brow, he continues, “he managed to stop the moment, Kevin! I have never seen something like that. He stopped the bells.”  
“That is impossible” Kevin knows he sounds surprised, but what Romain is saying is simply ridiculous, and even if it was true, so what? Romain said so himself, Marcus is not exactly a guardian angel, neither is he a reaper. He has never meet any other angel like him, so maybe it’s all part of what he is supposed to do, his mission on earth, on that plane of existence.

“I know, but that is what happened, and Mika must have found out and reprimanded him”

Kevin blinks at him, shakes his head and laughs nervously. “He sees something in humans, he…I suppose that is his job, to feel, he thinks they deserve something like…mercy” He trails off, doesn’t want to understand why Romain is making such a big deal out of the situation, he is more worried about what posible reprimand could Mika bestow upon Marcus.  
The taller reaper looks at him with sad eyes before he replies, whispering, as if he doesn’t want to startle him with his words at the same time that he makes sure he is the only one who hears.  
“We were alone in that hospital room. Kevin, when I was there the child--” He stops and seems to be trying to find the correct words “--was not the only soul I sensed”  
“What are you trying to say, Romain?”  
Romain looks sadly at him, grabs his shoulder in a condescending way that reminds him of the way friends say sorry to the diseased human’s loved ones.  
“Marcus has a soul, Kevin, he might have fallen”

 

 

“He might have fallen” Romain’s words dance in his mind. That is ridiculous, no one uses that term anymore, it’s something taken out of human’s books, stories they have made up to try to understand the meaning of the angel’s possible existence, the meaning of their own existence. Humans were the ones who named them, maybe more in a way to blame their actions and find solace in their saddest moments, but the truth is, humans have a conscience and that means angels and reapers are not there to command their decisions, they are not demons to tell them to do wrong, nor are they saviors to tell them to do right. Their only job is to keep the balance, and that means that none of them have a soul, that is just impossible, that is a right only kept for humanity along with free will to choose and feel and... _love_.

Thoughts come and go inside Kevin’s head as he paces inside a church at the east of Europe. It’s been abandoned for quite some time now, it’s full of the ruins that were once part of a big altar. Old paintings cover most of the walls, they depict saints and entities that had come from the imagination of artists of the century, baroque ornaments are lying broken on the floor where weeds and grass grow with the help of the humidity of the weather and the dim rays of sunshine that come through the half broken stained glass of the window, the broken pieces of glass lie on the ground, red and yellow rainbows coming from them.

Kevin stops pacing as soon as he realizes he is not alone anymore.

  
“Kevin, hello, it’s good to see you” Mika is standing in front of the ruins of the altar, his presence makes a shiver run down Kevin’s back. Mika has been around for centuries, even longer than him, longer than any of them. He moves closer to Kevin and it’s there that Kevin sees his sad expression. He has come to recognize emotions, especially those of despair, anger and frighten. Mika’s face gives away sadness, and Kevin knows there’s only a reason why an angel such as Mika would give such a condescending look towards a reaper like him. “Mika, is good to see you too” Kevin nods towards the angel, a sign of respect more than it is one of greeting. 

  
Mika looks around the church, and when he speaks again, he does it like he is just stating facts. “I know that you have formed a bond with Marcus” Romain cannot possibly be right.  
“That I have”, Kevin answers firmly, whatever this is, whatever is happening, he won’t deny it. “Is something the matter?” he asks as if he doesn’t know what the older being will say.  
Mika continues, seemingly ignoring his question. “So has Marcus, he has taken an especial liking to you, that is not unusual, we are shaped like humans after all, but nevertheless, a soul is something that cannot simply coexist with our own nature” Kevin stays silent, he tries to call for Marcus, bring him from wherever he is, but he can’t. “Marcus… his job, he must understand how humans feel, in order to bring them solace at the moment of their passing, but I’m afraid he has found the way to not only understand, but to surrender himself to a made-up humanity that has somehow become a real one. I can’t explain this, it has never happened before, not ever. But he has crafted himself a soul and somehow has given it life, he cannot exist here anymore” Kevin feels like all sound has disappeared from every plane of existence he knows of. _Not him, please not him._  
He feels a thousand sensations burst through him, is this feeling? Has their bond been the cause of this? He needs to know. “Did I cause this?” He asks Mika, voice breaking.  
“No, it was not you, it’s his own nature”  
Kevin needs to see him now, he calls for him, but he somehow doesn’t even feel the call for the angel get out and that builds up desperation inside Kevin. “Where is him? Mika, where is him?”  
“Kevin, he must be reaped” No. No, Mika be dammed, he won’t allow it to happen. Kevin will fight all of them if he has to. “I won’t let you touch him” Mika grabs him by the shoulders. There are tears running down his own cheeks and Kevin cannot possibly understand why. “His soul, it can’t survive here, it will only bring him pain as it is consumed into nothingness. He will die, and he will disappear, he is not human, neither is he an angel anymore”  
“I feel! I feel too, I feel for him, kill me too!” Kevin cries as he gets away from Mika’s soft grip, and Mika lets him go, shaking his head. “You are an angel, a reaper, that is not possible, and you know that Kevin” Mika sighs, looks past Kevin for a moment but when he continues there is a level of ferocity in his gaze.  
“Listen to me, the moment he found the way to stop the time of someone’s passing, his existence was doomed to end. His soul has grown to the point where a mere touch from you will kill him like a human on his passing hour. You have to do it, there is no other choice”  
Kevin shakes his head, he wants to run, search for Marcus and take him somewhere, hide him.  
“You can’t possibly ask me to do that” Kevin says shaking his head, he can’t understand. “Why would you ask this of me” He can’t possibly imagine having to say goodbye.  
Mika smiles a small smile and looks at the ripped painting of Saint Sebastian lying half broken on the floor of the ruined church. “Because you need to say goodbye” He exhales and grabs Kevin’s shoulder once more. "Because I know that you will find a way”.

 

He doesn’t expect to find Marcus at the park, but he is there, lying on the grass. There is no one there, except for him, tears streaming down his face, body shaking from the cold…the cold…angels do not feel cold. “Kevin?” he whimpers when he sees him, tries getting up but he falls back down. “I’m sorry” Marcus cries and extends his right hand to touch him, his other hand keeping him balanced from falling completely over the grass.  
The sight tears Kevin apart. “I can’t touch you, if I did, I would kill you, Marcus” The tears come back, and he falls on his knees close where Marcus is.  
Marcus cries harder, “Then so be it” he says, and Kevin wants nothing more than to console him, hold him. But he can’t, not now.  
“No, no” He says, and Marcus looks at him, his face full of hurt and Kevin continues, not wanting to ever let his angel think he does not love him…Love, yes. He knows it’s love.  
“I can’t let you go, I love you so much, I have never understood feeling like you did, but I know that I can’t let you go, I can’t let you die just because you were brave enough to feel like humans do. I can’t let you die because you decided to love so much” Marcus opens his mouth to speak but Kevin stops him. “I’ll see you, when the time comes. But first you will love, and you will feel and you’ll live amongst them being able to experience raw emotion, like you deserve. They don’t deserve you, Marcus, but you deserve to live”  
Marcus seems to understand what is going to happen and tries to touch him again, Kevin moves away. “Not without you, Kevin, never without you, I need you…”  
“It’s the only way, the only way you won’t disappear forever” He says, and with a snap of his fingers Marcus goes limp. Kevin closes his eyes and disappears and as he does, Kevin knows, that something inside him has been broken, because when he sees Marcus again, it will be for the last time.

 

 

Marcus happily strides through the crowded street of the city, it’s been a long day, but he is finally free to go home and catch up with his projects. Next week he is getting a full section of the museum for him to fix, it will be the first time he is able to do so by himself. He takes a shortcut from the crowded main street into a less congested one and he immediately sees the small salad restaurant he loves so much, and for a moment he thinks about ordering takeout like he usually does but somehow, he feels like cooking today instead. And it’s in that moment when he is trying to think about what he needs to do for what remains of the day when he trips on the uneven sidewalk. He yelps as he falls forward, but someone catches him before he unceremoniously hits the ground face-first, instead, the hold of the stranger helps him get a bit of leverage to fall softly on his backside, dragging the stranger with him onto the sidewalk.  
“Are you hurt?” Is the first thing Marcus hears, and when he looks up, there are a pair of blue eyes looking down at him.  
“I don’t think so” Marcus answers, feeling embarrassed, he is sure his cheeks must have started to tint a red color. “I am sorry, how rude, thank you” He gets up with the help of the kind stranger, a blonde man with equally blonde facial hair and a gray jacket. “I’m not sure what happened, I got distracted” He tries to apologize to the man.  
“Yes, that was probably it” The man has also a nice smile and he appears to be a tad shorter than Marcus. “Careful” he says softly as Marcus gets his stuff from the ground, his backpack seems unharmed. He feels warm at the kindness of the stranger.  
“Thank you” He repeats. “I’m Marcus” He smiles broad and extends his hand.  
“Kevin” Kevin. Marcus thinks that name fits him somehow, like his head is telling him it must be obvious that is his name. “Nice to meet you, Kevin” Kevin shakes his hand and Marcus is well aware that he has lingered into the hand shake, but he can’t shake off the feeling that he somehow should spend more time with this man.  
“uh”, Marcus’ voice trembles and he doesn’t know why. “This might sound strange but, may I buy you a coffee, as a thank you?” Kevin smiles at him and Marcus is sure he is going to say yes, but as sudden as the smile came it vanishes.  
“I would love to, but I am afraid I must run to work, perhaps some other time?”  
Marcus tries to hide his disappointment. “Oh, yes of course” He answers.  
Kevin smiles, “Good bye, Marcus”.  
“Good bye Kevin, it was nice meeting you” Marcus answers back, and Kevin starts walking away. Marcus’ heart feels heavy, he doesn’t know what he was expecting. He sighs, puts his backpack on over his shoulder and continues walking towards his apartment. The thought of being alone suddenly making him feel deeply sad. He turns around for a moment and watches the figure of Kevin walking away. Kevin…

Marcus walks about two meters away when he hears Kevin’s voice yelling at him. “Marcus wait”  
He turns around and Kevin has catched up with him. Marcus can’t possibly hide the smile on his face, neither does he wants to. “Yes?”  
Kevin stops in front of him, he is closer than before, so close… “What did you said your job was?” Kevin asks and Marcus replies, happy to talk about his work.  
“Art curator” He says proudly. “I love art, it’s like looking at humanity’s history through the artists’ feelings” He continues but stops himself from saying more, he is not sure Kevin wants to hear him talk about himself, maybe he is completely misunderstanding the whole situation, maybe—

“Your smile is beautiful” Kevin says suddenly, and Marcus knows he is blushing.  
“Thank you, I like your smile too” He tells the other blonde, and it would be an awkward conversation if he somehow didn't feel like he has known Kevin all his life, his presence brings in him a feeling of complete peace.  
“Do you like flowers?” The questions comes out of Marcus’ mouth before his head can fully process his train of thought.  
Kevin looks at him with such tenderness, that Marcus doesn’t know what to do. He is so close to him, it’s like there is no one else in the world but them. “I do, they are beautiful”  
“Why do I feel like I have met you before?”  
“I don’t know” Kevin answers, and his hands have grabbed his, and the only thing that Marcus understands is that he doesn’t want Kevin to let go, he doesn’t want to ever let go of Kevin.  
Marcus kisses him. Hands finding his face, bodies close. _Yes, like this, so close. Stay close to me._ Kevin pulls back, rests his hands on Marcus’ face and Marcus leans into the touch.  
“I’m sorry, I…”  
Kevin does not let him apologize, he kisses him again, a soft press of his lips to Marcus’. “I love you, I love you so much” Kevin says and the happiness that floods through Marcus leaves him dizzy for a moment. “But you have just met me”, Marcus replies. He doesn’t know this man, has never met him before but his soul tells him he has, he somehow has, and he won’t let go.  
“Yes”  
_Kevin…so close…I won’t let you go, don’t make me let you go._  
“And I have just met you but…I feel”  
Kevin smiles, “What do you feel?”. He asks as if knowing is the most important thing in the world. Marcus can’t describe it, so he just kisses him, he kisses him and tries to convey his feelings in the kiss, tries to let it somehow explain the confusion turned to happiness and relief that he is feeling.  
“That” Marcus says when they pull apart. “What do you feel?” he asks back.  
“I feel…” There is a sudden sadness in Kevin’s face and Marcus can’t understand why. “Like I should never let you go”  
“Then don’t” Marcus says simply. There is a loud sound that makes Marcus look to his right, then there is the whirring of tires and a loud crash, a sharp pain in his chest and Kevin’s eyes full of tears.

 

If happens way too fast. In the blink of an eye, the car crashes. Kevin knows there is a malfunction on the manufacture that causes the breaks to jam, he knows the driver is fine and the person walking on the other side of the street is alright, and when what looks like a million pieces of the vehicle fly in the air, they don’t hurt Kevin. They cannot hurt his body, but for a moment, he understands pain, for a moment it feels like the piece that buries itself on Marcus’ chest has also done so in his own body. Marcus falls forwards, there’s blood on his chest, and his hand touches the wound reflexively. “Oh”, his blue eyes look at him in shock as the single syllable comes out of his mouth. Kevin holds him to his chest and brings him to the ground with him.  
“Kevin?”  
“Yes, I’m here, I’m here Marcus”  
“Kevin? I’m scared”  
“I know Marcus, I know, angel”  
Kevin grips Marcus’ hand. Marcus is looking at him, but his eyes look glassy, his breathing gets labored, his lips are getting paler, there is a bluish hue quickly appearing on them and Kevin knows what will happen. Oh, he knows, and he prays, for the first time in his existence, that he will die with him too. Marcus is shaking and his grip is getting softer.  
“The flowers, think of the flowers at the park in front of the church” Kevin tells him, he will confort him, he will feel like he did, he won’t let Marcus feel scared.  
“The flowers…” Marcus speaks “the purple ones?”  
“Yes, they are purple, but they are also white, aren’t they?” Kevin has been to that park ever since Mika gave him the chance to let Marcus live, to make his body as human as his soul. Never encountering Marcus but always finding the flowers. Remembering Marcus’ last words to him at that park.  
“Yes”, Marcus whispers. He is a few moments away from complete shock.  
“They might seem dark, but they have bright colors inside”  
Marcus smiles and he coughs, he doesn’t have much time now. “They are next to the pink ones”  
Kevin chuckles bitterly, he can feel tears on his own checks. “The pink ones, yes, they make the purple ones looks gentle, don’t they?”  
Marcus doesn’t reply, his left hand leaves Kevin’s and traces the reapers’ cheek instead.  
“Just like you, Marcus” Kevin says, leans into the touch. Grabs Marcus’ hand and kisses his palm. Marcus’ hand is shaking. “Kevin, I love you”, the words are whispered.  
“I love you too” Kevin replies, and kisses his cold lips. The sirens of the ambulance are heard far away.  
“Will you hold me?”  
“I always will” And Kevin does, he kisses Marcus’ forehead and Marcus exhales, body convulsing as his last words, a mere whisper, are spoken.  
“Thank you, Kevin”

 

Kevin stays unmoved on the ground, and even when Mika appears by his side, he stays put, his own tears streaming down his face and onto Marcus’ body.  
“Mika, please, let me follow him” He pleads.  
He can’t see Mika’s face. “He is gone Kevin, gone forever”  
Kevin lifts his face to see him, he knows Mika is powerful enough to make it possible, he knows it, he has to be. “Then please let me be gone too”.  
“You don’t have a soul, Kevin”, and Kevin laughs bitterly at that statement. “I must, because the pain I feel can’t possibly be anything other than it being ripped apart”  
“I cannot do that, and you know it”  
Kevin looks at the body in his arms, time has stopped with Mika’s presence. He looks in the distance and sees a garden. “Then make me into a flower, let me be as close to him as I can, let me experience his presence, a little bit of him” He tells Mika.  
Mika nods and Kevin lets go.

 

 

The wind softly caresses the leaves of the trees that have grown at the edge of the park, it’s spring and the sun is up, there are some clouds blocking the soft rays of sunshine as they make figures in the sky. There is laughter coming from the park, most of it from the children playing near the gardens where flowers bloom. The melancholic color of the main flowers planted mixing with the pink hue of smaller ones growing around them. The wind blows and for a moment the purple flowers move along with it, tangling its leaves around the pink ones in a soft movement. Night falls, and seasons change, but the flowers stay there, moving along with the wind and blooming like a message of hope.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of FICTION, any similarities with reality are a mere coincidence.


End file.
